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Neuromodulators regulate higher-order cognitive processes including learning and memory through modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity. Norepinephrine is a neuromodulator that is secreted throughout the brain in response to novelty or increased arousal, which alters neural circuits by increasing the modifiability of CNS synapses. Norepinephrine activates metabotropic receptors, initiating complex intracellular signaling cascades that can promote enduring changes in synaptic strength including long-term potentiation (LTP). In particular, activation of beta-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) by norepinephrine enhances LTP through downstream engagement of signaling cascades which upregulate protein synthesis at synapses. Here, we sought to determine the select signaling pathways recruited by norepinephrine to promote homosynaptic LTP at hippocampal synapses in mice. Application of norepinephrine initiated a long-lasting form of homosynaptic LTP that requires protein synthesis. Norepinephrine mediated enhancement of LTP was reduced by inhibition of mTOR and Epac but not PKA, suggesting that the endogenous β-AR ligand norepinephrine may preferentially recruit Epac signaling to promote enduring changes in synaptic strength. These findings advance our understanding of the mechanisms through which norepinephrine regulates synaptic plasticity associated with formation of new memories. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.Evidence strongly supports that access to specialty gastroenterology or hepatology care in cirrhosis is associated with higher adherence to guideline-recommended care and improves clinical outcomes. Presently, only about one half of acute care hospitalizations for cirrhosis-related complications result in inpatient specialty care and the current hepatology workforce cannot meet the demand of patients with liver disease nationwide, particularly in less densely populated areas and in community-based practices not affiliated with academic centers. Telemedicine, defined as the delivery of health care services at a distance using electronic means for diagnosis and treatment, holds tremendous promise to increase access to broadly specialty care. The technology is cheap and easy to use, however, is presently limited in scale by interstate licensing restrictions and reimbursement barriers. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has, in the short-term, accelerated the growth of telemedicine delivery as a public health and social distancing measure. Herein, we examine whether this public health crisis can accelerate the national conversation about broader adoption of telemedicine for routine medical care in non-crisis situations using a case series from our telehepatology program as a pragmatic example. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.OBJECTIVES Transrectal laparoscopy (TRLS) using a flexible endoscope was recently proposed for peritoneal observation. Although previous studies have reported its feasibility, follow-up durations were insufficient to ascertain technical safety. Moreover, knowledge about the technical feasibility of collecting peritoneal cytological lavage or ascites during TRLS is limited. Thus, this study aimed to confirm the safety and efficacy of TRLS in a porcine survival model. METHODS After creating artificial ascites in 10 animals, TRLS was performed as follows submucosal tunnel creation on the anterior wall of the rectum, intentional perforation at the distal end of the tunnel, endoscopic ascites collection and intraperitoneal observation, and clip closure at the mucosal incision site. The pigs were administered antibiotics orally for 7 days after TRLS and sacrificed for histological evaluation and bacterial culture after 28 days of observation. RESULTS The technical success rates of insertion into the abdominal cavity, ascites collection, and clip closure were 100%. All frequent anatomical sites for peritoneal dissemination including the stomach, subdiaphragmatic space, and pelvic space were fully observable without adverse events. The median procedure time was 36.3 min. Full 28-day survival was observed in all cases without any infection. The autopsy showed no infection, including abscess formation. Bacterial cultures of the peritoneal cavity were negative 28 days after TRLS in all cases. CONCLUSIONS TRLS enabled ascites collection and intraperitoneal observation without adverse events. All animals survived without peritonitis. Therefore, TRLS can be an option for intraperitoneal examination. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.The infrared (IR) and Raman spectra of eight substitutional carbon defects in silicon are computed at the quantum mechanical level by using a periodic supercell approach based on hybrid functionals, an all electron Gaussian type basis set and the CRYSTAL code. The single substitutional C s case and its combination with a vacancy (C s V and C s SiV) are considered first. The progressive saturation of the four bonds of a Si atom with C is then examined. The last set of defects consists of a chain of adjacent carbon atoms C s i , with i = 1-3. The simple substitutional case, C s , is the common first member of the three sets. All these defects show important, very characteristic features in their IR spectrum. One or two C related peaks dominate the spectra at 596 cm-1 for C s (and C s SiV, the second neighbor vacancy is not shifting the C s peak), at 705 and 716 cm-1 for C s V, at 537 cm-1 for C s 2 and C s 3 (with additional peaks at 522, 655 and 689 for the latter only), at 607 and 624 cm-1 , 601 and 643 cm-1 , and 629 cm-1 for SiC s 2 , SiC s 3 , and SiC s 4 , respectively. Necrostatin 1S RIP kinase inhibitor Comparison with experiment allows to attribute many observed peaks to one of the C substitutional defects. Observed peaks above 720 cm-1 must be attributed to interstitial C or more complicated defects. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Based on parametrized tight Gaussian functions, an efficient and robust methodology designed to restore the effective core potentials electron densities and the inner shells of the electron localization function is introduced and tested. Attention is focused on the underlying effects of augmented coreless electron densities on selected quantum topological descriptors computed for a test set of species containing heavy elements such as the emblematic uranyl cation. Also, this article shows how a proper topology of the electron density can be recovered from semi-empirical Hückel calculations where core densities are missing. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.